Saturday, 15 February 2014

Tummy time is time that your baby spends lying on their
front when awake, alert and being supervised.

Babies used to spend a lot of time on their tummy’s as that
was how they slept and so when they woke up they would spend some awake alert
time on their front.

In 1992 the ‘Back to Sleep’ programme was introduced in an
effort to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDs), this
programme has had great effect and the incidence of SIDs cases has been reduced
by 50% since it began. Parents are consistently recommended to position their
babies on their backs to sleep, because an emphasis (and quite rightly so) has
been put on positioning babies on their backs there has been a reduction in the
amount of time that babies are positioned on their front.

baby enjoying tummy time

Why do you do it?

Tummy time is great – it helps your baby develop physically
and mentally. It can reduce incidence of positional head shape deformity and it
completely changes your baby’s view of the world.

Research has shown that babies who spend time on their front
when awake and supervised reach motor milestones earlier than babies who don’t
spend any time on their front – they may roll over earlier – they are certainly
likely to push themselves up with their arms earlier – why is this? – when a
baby lies on his back he can see the world going on around him and he can lie
there contentedly watching his family, this baby does not need to make any
effort to receive stimulation as the world comes to him.

Now you have a baby who can see his blanket – yes, it is
beautiful and his granny spent some time making it – but it doesn’t do that
much and he quickly feels the need for more information – now he needs to move
his head from side to side, lift up his head and shoulders and maybe even push
with his arms or hands to get a better look at what is going on around him –
all of these movements strengthen the shoulders, neck and arms. Crawling becomes
easier because they already feel comfortable in the start position. They learn
hand eye co-ordination trying to pick up those toys that are placed in front of
them on the floor – they learn to reach out because when you are on your tummy
you can retrieve that toy you just let go of because you can still see it.

When do you do it?

Tummy time can start from as early as day 1 – it is safe for
your baby to be on their tummy as long as they are awake, alert and being
supervised by you – it is not recommended to leave your baby on their tummy
whilst unsupervised. The best way to start with tummy time is to do it at least
once a day to your babies tolerance – initially this may only be a few seconds
but as they become accustomed to the position and realise that they can move
themselves they will start to stay on their tummy for longer periods. Don’t be
disheartened if your baby appears to dislike tummy time – they just need an
opportunity to adapt so keep trying.

When research was done to look at the differences between
babies who spent time on their tummy and babies who didn’t tummy time was shown
to be valuable if done every day for a period of more than 20 minutes.

Saturday, 1 February 2014

The squat is a progression from the 'Hip Hinge' (we covered this previously so you can go back through the blogs to find it or take a look at our Facebook page).

It is a great exercise for strengthening your buttocks and thighs and will enable you to bend down without putting any strain on your lower back.

Chiropractor Hazel Dillon performs a squat

Follow the rules of the hip hinge - as you bend forward all the motion needs to come from the front of your hips and the top of your body should follow the movement. Your bottom needs to go backwards as you bend forwards at the hips as if you were going to sit on something directly behind you.

It is important to prevent your knees from coming forward of your toes as they bend, again, the motion is one of going backwards and then down rather than just straight down.

Start off by only going down a small amount (as shown in the picture) and as you become more confident and stronger you can bend further down until you would be able to touch / pick up something from the floor.

If the squat starts to feel easy you can add a weight in your hands - this will increase the workload for your buttocks and thighs and continue to increase their strength. Start by holding the weight close to your body and then you can progress on to holding it out at arms length.

Also make sure you are not feeling any pain or discomfort in your lower back - if you do, take a moment to reassess your technique as you shouldn't feel any strain in the lower back with a correct technique.

Happy Squatting :-)

If you have any pain or discomfort or know someone who does, call the clinic on 020 8563 2608 and book a free consultation and find out if Chiropractic is right for you.